it’s
late but I’ve got another one for you Jess,” she announced. “We’ve
already been to stores to get her uniform. Could you please see to
her?” Jen sounded rushed, “she’s in the cubicle opposite. I’d do it
myself but I’ve got to deliver a babe-pair to the nursery domta.”
Babe–pair was the irreverent term for those duos where one (or
both) were under fourteen and not yet eligible to become
fully-fledged cadets.
“Lessons begin
tomorrow,” Tana protested.
“It won’t take
long,” said Jen, “just make sure that she’s ready will you? There’s
a lamb.”
“Does her
uniform fit?” asked a suspicious Tana, but Jen had disappeared.
They could hear her feet running away.
The three
stared at the plump girl who stood before them, half in and half
out of Jess’s cubicle. Her face, Tana noted, was plain and freckled
and her hair, as Jess said later, had been yanked back from her
face into a ponytail that emphasised her round visage. Her slow
smile though, was an easy-going and pleasant one.
“Sorry about
this,” she said, “But Jen is taking the boy who paired same time as
me somewhere else. She said he was too young to become a cadet
right now. He was only thirteen a few tendays ago.”
“She’ll be
taking him to the nursery domta,” said Jess, scrambling to her
feet. “Welcome to our midst by the way. I’m Jess and my Lind is
called Mlei.”
“Name’s
Hannah,” the newcomer replied, still retaining that easy smile. She
turned a frankly interested gaze in the direction of Beth and
Tana.
“This is Beth,”
grinned the latter, “the dark-faced, long-legged creature over
there is her Lind Xei. Tana’s my name and Tavei is my life-mate’s
handle. Yours?”
“Kolyei.”
“Really?”
“Surprised me
too.”
“Is he a
descendant of the original Kolyei and Tara?”
“He might be,”
Hannah shrugged, “but if he is he hasn’t said.”
“Where d’ya
hail from?” asked Tana who thought she recognised the accent.
“North of
Stewarton,” answered Hannah, confirming Tana’s guess. “My family
are farmers.”
“Same as Jess
here then. Her family are farmers too but time’s a wasting. Jen
said she had taken you to get your uniform?”
“Er, yes,”
Hannah said, “but there’s a bit of a problem there I fear.”
“Don’t they
fit?” asked Beth in her slow drawl, thus entering the conversation
for the first time, “from what I’ve seen they’re either made for
very tall and thin people or very short and fat people.”
“And I am
neither,” laughed a rueful Hannah.
Jess and Tana
forbore to comment. Their new acquaintance and fellow cadet had
what could only be described as an ample frame. She was as tall as
Jess, true, but nobody could say she had a similarly lithesome
figure.
“We’ll just
have to start sewing again,” said a resigned Tana, “stars, we’ll be
up all night.”
“T’won’t be as
bad as all that,” said Beth, “we’ll get one uniform ready and do
the rest tomorrow.”
By the time Jen
returned after delivering Robain and Balindifya, the four were hard
at it. Tana and Beth were busy pinning one of Hannah’s new uniform
tunics. Jess was grooming Kolyei and generally making herself
useful putting all four of the quartet’s cubicles to rights.
With a rueful
laugh Jen settled in to help. She proved to be a more than
competent seamstress and before eleventh bell struck Hannah had one
uniform ready to wear and another almost there.
They tidied
away the pins, threads and needles and Jen advised that they all
settle down to sleep.
“You’ll have a
busy day tomorrow,” she informed them, “first day always is. I’ll
not be able to help. I’ve got early cookhouse duty, which means
crack of dawn. At sixth bell get up, wash, get into uniform and get
your breakfasts. Remember to make sure that your cubicles are ready
for inspection too. They might not inspect, it being first day and
all that but it’s best to get into the way of it
late but I’ve got another one for you Jess,” she announced. “We’ve
already been to stores to get her uniform. Could you please see to
her?” Jen sounded rushed, “she’s in the cubicle opposite. I’d do it
myself but I’ve got to deliver a babe-pair to the nursery domta.”
Babe–pair was the irreverent term for those duos where one (or
both) were under fourteen and not yet eligible to become
fully-fledged cadets.
“Lessons begin
tomorrow,” Tana protested.
“It won’t take
long,” said Jen, “just make sure that she’s ready will you? There’s
a lamb.”
“Does her
uniform fit?” asked a suspicious Tana, but Jen had disappeared.
They could hear her feet running away.
The three
stared at the plump girl who stood before them, half in and half
out of Jess’s cubicle. Her face, Tana noted, was plain and freckled
and her hair, as Jess said later, had been yanked back from her
face into a ponytail that emphasised her round visage. Her slow
smile though, was an easy-going and pleasant one.
“Sorry about
this,” she said, “But Jen is taking the boy who paired same time as
me somewhere else. She said he was too young to become a cadet
right now. He was only thirteen a few tendays ago.”
“She’ll be
taking him to the nursery domta,” said Jess, scrambling to her
feet. “Welcome to our midst by the way. I’m Jess and my Lind is
called Mlei.”
“Name’s
Hannah,” the newcomer replied, still retaining that easy smile. She
turned a frankly interested gaze in the direction of Beth and
Tana.
“This is Beth,”
grinned the latter, “the dark-faced, long-legged creature over
there is her Lind Xei. Tana’s my name and Tavei is my life-mate’s
handle. Yours?”
“Kolyei.”
“Really?”
“Surprised me
too.”
“Is he a
descendant of the original Kolyei and Tara?”
“He might be,”
Hannah shrugged, “but if he is he hasn’t said.”
“Where d’ya
hail from?” asked Tana who thought she recognised the accent.
“North of
Stewarton,” answered Hannah, confirming Tana’s guess. “My family
are farmers.”
“Same as Jess
here then. Her family are farmers too but time’s a wasting. Jen
said she had taken you to get your uniform?”
“Er, yes,”
Hannah said, “but there’s a bit of a problem there I fear.”
“Don’t they
fit?” asked Beth in her slow drawl, thus entering the conversation
for the first time, “from what I’ve seen they’re either made for
very tall and thin people or very short and fat people.”
“And I am
neither,” laughed a rueful Hannah.
Jess and Tana
forbore to comment. Their new acquaintance and fellow cadet had
what could only be described as an ample frame. She was as tall as
Jess, true, but nobody could say she had a similarly lithesome
figure.
“We’ll just
have to start sewing again,” said a resigned Tana, “stars, we’ll be
up all night.”
“T’won’t be as
bad as all that,” said Beth, “we’ll get one uniform ready and do
the rest tomorrow.”
By the time Jen
returned after delivering Robain and Balindifya, the four were hard
at it. Tana and Beth were busy pinning one of Hannah’s new uniform
tunics. Jess was grooming Kolyei and generally making herself
useful putting all four of the quartet’s cubicles to rights.
With a rueful
laugh Jen settled in to help. She proved to be a more than
competent seamstress and before eleventh bell struck Hannah had one
uniform ready to wear and another almost there.
They tidied
away the pins, threads and needles and Jen advised that they all
settle down to sleep.
“You’ll have a
busy day tomorrow,” she informed them, “first day always is. I’ll
not be able to help. I’ve got early cookhouse duty, which means
crack of dawn. At sixth bell get up, wash, get into uniform and get
your breakfasts. Remember to make sure that your cubicles are ready
for inspection too. They might not inspect, it being first day and
all that but it’s best to get into the way of it
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